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‘On Saturdays in Ordinary Time when there is no obligatory memorial, an optional memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary is allowed.

‘Saturdays stand out among those days dedicated to the Virgin Mary. These are designated as memorials of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This memorial derives from Carolingian times (9th century), but the reasons for having chosen Saturday for its observance are unknown. While many explanations of this choice have been advanced, none is completely satisfactory from the point of view of the history of popular piety.

‘Whatever its historical origins may be, today the memorial rightly emphasizes certain values to which contemporary spirituality is more sensitive. It is a remembrance of the maternal example and discipleship of the Blessed Virgin Mary who, strengthened by faith and hope, on that “great Saturday” on which Our Lord lay in the tomb, was the only one of the disciples to hold vigil in expectation of the Lord’s resurrection. It is a prelude and introduction to the celebration of Sunday, the weekly memorial of the Resurrection of Christ. It is a sign that the Virgin Mary is continuously present and operative in the life of the Church.’

The recent title ‘Our Lady of Arabia’ accorded to our Lady represents the patronage of the Blessed Virgin over the Arabian peninsula. The devotion to our Lady under this title began in the 20th century with the dedication of a chapel by the Carmelite fathers in honour of Our Lady of Arabia. In the space of a year, the chapel was soon enriched with the same indulgences as the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major, and the image – modelled after that of our Lady of Mount Carmel and solemnly blessed by Pius XII – was installed in it. In 1957, the Blessed Virgin under this title was declared the principal patroness of the Apostolic Vicariate of Kuwait, and the statue solemnly crowned in 1960. The 21st century saw a renewed effort in favour of the devotion to the Blessed Virgin in the newly constituted Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, as emblematic of the missionary character of the Church in the Gulf. The Blessed Virgin Mary, under this title, was declared the principal patroness of the region in 2013 by the Congregation of Divine Worship, and the proper Masses to the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia in 2014.

Though the title is relatively recent, the Blessed Virgin is not a stranger to the region. On the contrary, her praises are mentioned even among Muslims in the Quran, which regards her as “chosen above all women” (Sura Al-Imran, 42). History bears witness to a flourishing devotion in honour of the Virgin Mary in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula before the arrival of Islam, as evinced by the churches dedicated in her honour.

The veneration historically shown toward the Blessed Virgin by the native inhabitants of the region has revived and increased in the modern day with the arrival of migrants from all corners of the globe, fulfilling the divine promise uttered in the Spirit by the holy Virgin herself: “All generations will call me blessed” (Lk 1:48). With trust in her powerful intercession, they praise the Lord who “casts down the mighty from their thrones and exalts the lowly”. The Mother of God shines as a beacon of hope for the Christian faithful, illuminating the providence and fidelity of God to those who trust in him amidst the anxieties of life. Whether through her journey to the hill country of Judah with the child in her womb, or her flight with the infant Christ from persecution by Herod, the Blessed Virgin serves as an exemplar for migrant faithful who are sustained by their faith in Christ the Lord. To the missionary Church in Arabia, the Mother of God reveals a life closely associated with her Son, and perpetually pointing to him. Thus, as it strives to be the leaven of the Gospel in the society in which it exists, the missionary Church in the Gulf makes the words of its Mother and Queen its own: “Do whatever he tells you”.

To their Mother and Queen therefore, on this day, the Christians of Gulf turn with filial confidence, that she “whose radiant glance banishes storms and tempests and brings back cloudless skies (may) look upon these her innocent and tormented children with eyes of mercy; that the Virgin, who is able to subdue violence beneath her foot, may grant to them that they may soon enjoy the rightful freedom to practice their religion openly, so that, while serving the cause of the Gospel, they may also contribute to the strength and progress of nations by their harmonious cooperation, by the practice of extraordinary virtues which are a glowing example in the midst of bitter trials” (Pius XII, Ad Caeli Reginam, 50).

Liturgical colour: green

The theological virtue of hope is symbolized by the colour green, just as the burning fire of love is symbolized by red. Green is the colour of growing things, and hope, like them, is always new and always fresh. Liturgically, green is the colour of Ordinary Time, the season in which we are being neither especially penitent (in purple) nor overwhelmingly joyful (in white).

May all the peoples of the earth come to know that the Lord is God indeed, and that there is no other. May your hearts be wholly with the Lord our God, following his laws and keeping his commandments as at this present day.

The heart is more devious than any other thing, perverse too: who can pierce its secrets? I, the Lord, search to the heart, I probe the loins, to give each man what his conduct and his actions deserve.